


no shelter from the storm

by Phoenix7



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon GO
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Angst and Tragedy, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Killing, Minor Character Death, Regret, The Author Regrets Everything, The Author Regrets Nothing, i don’t care, yes i know I just contradicted myself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-10 10:50:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13500328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoenix7/pseuds/Phoenix7
Summary: what do you do when it’s a choice between one friend and many others? what if it’s no longer a choice? what do you do then? cry, at the ice in your heart?Inspired by a post by surfacage on tumblr - copy the link into your browser to see the posthttp://www.surfacage.net/post/164402518404/hi-so-this-is-my-first-time-do-this-so-sorry-if





	no shelter from the storm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Fish71022](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fish71022/gifts), [surfacage](https://archiveofourown.org/users/surfacage/gifts).



**thunder and lightning**

He was fury and hellfire, innocence and sweetness. He was both the lightning that struck with such ferocity, and the sun that shone down warmly on their cheeks. He was always the one who smiled, smiled even when things went wrong, if only so that they would smile too. But he had been angry, once - when Mystic was attacked - and in the moment before he let his Titan’s powers flow through him, his blue eyes were scary. Only then did they realise - there was a monster inside him. The bright blue of his eyes held much more than the carefree, happy grins he always showed. They held memories. Memories of pain - of sadness - and what was undoubtedly rage. He’d been holding out for years, struggling against all that power contained by the Titan he had bonded with. He was bound to crack at one point in time. What they didn’t know was how much destruction he was capable of. Why he had tried so hard to keep his Titan in check. They knew now.  
They hated that look on Spark’s face - the look of his Titan, cold, calculating and cruel. They hated how Spark’s eyes could no longer see, how they had become glassy yellow orbs, only searching for new targets. He’d asked, so long ago, what the word _annihilate_ meant - they’d never imagined that he would be doing it. _It means ‘to destroy utterly’, or in other words, to obliterate._ They’d explained the meaning to him, in those times when they had no idea that Zapdos knew perfectly well what it meant. To Zapdos, annihilate meant  
That no one would survive.  
And then the Titan of Lightning had taken those words and made it a reality.  
The first casualty had only a split second to register what was happening before the lightning struck her, full force. The little girl couldn’t have been older than ten, and yet she was valiantly becoming a better Trainer. The eight Gym badges she’d worked so hard to earn had been melted with the energy, sticking to her velvet badge case, reduced to twisted lumps of metal. She’d been about to take part in the Pokemon League. And now… this. Only her team of Pokemon survived, thanks to their Pokeballs, but all of them had been badly injured. Blanche didn’t know if they would survive the ordeal.  
The second casualty had been a group of Trainers, who were having a practice battle. None of them survived. They all had their Pokemon out in battle, so none of them were invulnerable to the attack. It had happened so fast that there was no screaming. There had been no time to scream. Their faces showed nothing but fear, and one of them died while shielding his Pokemon, a Butterfree. He died in vain. Even the specially protected incubator that had been in his backpack exploded from the force, badly damaging the egg inside. Spark would know what to do for the egg. He’d be able to take care of it, to nurse it back to health, and help it to hatch. But Zapdos, in its current state, knew nothing but cruelty and rage.  
After that, hardly anyone survived Zapdos’s electricity. The children who used to play with Spark were now running away from him, and no one blamed them. He wasn’t Spark anymore. Spark was long gone. Only a shell of him remained, a shell that looked like Spark, but was a cold-blooded murderer. Even Zapdos shouldn’t have been like this. Spark spoke of Zapdos as though it was a friend, like it was a fellow human being. Why, then, did this happen? The only answer would have been that Spark’s judgment had been faulty. But he put all his trust in his instincts, and he always turned out to be right.  
There was a blast from outside. Another attack. The three of them had been supposed to keep the Trainers safe. And yet they could do nothing but watch, after their regular teams had been completely overpowered. Even with the help of Noire, they hadn’t been able to win against Zapdos. The only solution now would be for Articuno and Moltres to take Zapdos down, and even that was too far-fetched a possibility. One murderous Legendary Pokemon was already enough to deal with. Three would be disastrous.  
The next blast was aimed inside, at Candela, Blanche and Noire. They all dived aside, ending up at different ends of the room. ~~Zapdos~~ ~~~~Spark floated in, his eyes still glowing yellow. Yes, that was right. He floated. His feet weren’t even touching the ground, and electricity fanned out behind him, in the shape of Zapdos’s wings. He didn’t recognise them. All he could comprehend - all Zapdos could comprehend - was that the three of them were merely new targets. More people, to destroy utterly. Obliterate. _Annihilate_.  
He had always been like Blanche and Candela’s little brother. He had been Noire’s friend, in a time where they’d had precious few others. And yet… he’d probably never see any of them again. Even if Zapdos relinquished its control over him, his physical body wouldn’t be able to take it.  
Why?  
“Watch out!” Candela yelled, as Spark turned around, aiming for Noire. It broke their heart, to see someone who’d once been their twin’s friend, try to kill them. Noire dodged the attack, but caught their leg on the debris from the collapsing ceiling. They were on the highest floor, and shafts of sunlight shone through the holes. The sunlight looked too cheerful to be plausible now.  
Spark would have liked it.  
But he wasn’t Spark, and he turned to Noire, trying to attack again.  
“No!” Blanche shouted, dropping their usual deadpanned exterior. He faced them, distracted, and the attack that had been aimed for Noire only caught them on their shoulder. He looked over his shoulder for a moment - Noire, who had collapsed onto the ground, and Candela, who, despite her rivalry with Blanche’s twin, was desperately trying to wake them. He shrugged nonchalantly, and he might as well have stabbed all of them. The utter shock on Candela’s face was an accurate portrayal of what Blanche was feeling. He had killed so many people, and injured one of his friends - and all he did was shrug.  
But of course, he wasn’t Spark anymore. Noire wasn’t Zapdos’ friend.  
~~Spark~~ ~~~~ ~~~~Zapdos turned towards Blanche, hand outstretched to attack. But they stood their ground, ignoring Candela’s panicking.  
“Spark… I know you’re in there.”  
~~Zapdos~~  Spark paused for a while, and it took all of Blanche’s steel not to wince under his stare. His eyes were still glowing that horrible yellow, making his normally expressive eyes so empty. It happened all of a sudden, and only for a moment. His eyes returned back to their usual colour. He looked shocked, and in pain, but his mouth formed words. Help. Then it was over, and it was Zapdos who charged up another attack, Zapdos who sent it their way…  
A burst of fire countered the electricity, sending it back towards Zapdos. Candela was burning, on fire, but her eyes were still amber. She had Noire over her shoulders, but the flames didn’t burn them at all. Other than their injured shoulder, they looked tense and scared.  
“We’ve got to go, mon chou,” they said, grabbing hold of Blanche’s arm.  
“Come on.” Candela’s eyes were glittering with tears, “it’s too dangerous. And too late. We can’t help him anymore.”  
The crumpled Team Instinct banner was on the floor, torn and scorched from the disaster that had happened. But the team’s proud motto was still visible - _There is no shelter from the storm._  
Candela took hold of Blanche’s other arm, forcing them to follow her and Noire away from Spark.  
**the storm must die**  
“We’ve  got to go back,” they insisted, stubbornly, despite Candela and Noire’s efforts to convince them otherwise.  
“I see no reason for you to put yourself in danger, mon chou,” Noire reasoned. “He is beyond help.”  
“He’s not Spark anymore, Blanche,” Candela pleaded. “Don’t rush into things like that. You’ll get yourself killed!”  
“Funny, I thought rushing into things was your speciality, Valor,” Noire said dryly, though in their current situation, there was no humour in their voice.  
“Precisely! Blanche, come on, you’re supposed to be the voice of reason here. He’ll kill us all, if we even try -”  
“There is no shelter from the storm,” Blanche quoted. “We can’t hide forever. Zapdos will find us. And besides, if there’s one thing Spark taught me, it’s that I have to trust in my instincts.” They began to walk back towards the area where they would be in full view of ~~Spark~~ Zapdos.  
“Blanche! Wait!” Noire shouted, dashing after their twin. “You can’t do this!”  
“If we cannot hide from the storm, then we must face the storm. It seems…” and their voice shook slightly, “...that the only way to end this is to make the storm cease.”  
“You can’t be serious, Blanche,” Candela’s usually loud and commanding voice was a hoarse whisper, “Please tell me you’re not serious.” Her face said it all - she knew perfectly well what they were going to do.  
“I must do it.” Blanche’s expression was steely, “It’s for the best.”  
“How can you say that…” Candela was shocked. But they had already turned and walked away, stopping behind Zapdos.  
“Spark,” they said loudly, too loud to escape attention, “I know you’re in there. Can you hear me? I’m Blanche.”  
When ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Spark~~  Zapdos turned around, his eyes were still glowing yellow.  
“You know who I am,” they said, icy wings forming in the air behind them and resting in between their choulder blades. They looked shocked, and their right eye glowed blue. “And I know who you are. You’re Spark. The one who always trusts in his instincts.” It pained them to say Spark’s favourite line, now, when faced with a Spark who was so familiar, yet so unfamiliar.  
But for another moment - an even shorter one - Spark’s eyes flashed blue. They had been right. He was more far gone than it seemed, but at least he was still in there.  
“Blanche, no!” Candela had noticed the wings too. But they held up a hand to stop her, joining their hands together again and pulling them apart to reveal a long, sharp icicle.  
“And my instincts say,” they took a firm hold on the icicle, even though their hands were shaking, “that this will be for the best.”  
The icicle was trembling together with Blanche’s hands, sending small spots of light dancing around what was left of the ceiling. Candela stared at the lights, not wanting to watch what she knew would happen. This couldn't be. There was surely another way… but watching Spark, the electricity around him, cloaking him as though it was suffocating him - suffocating everything she knew of her friend and leaving cold, empty darkness, she couldn't help but succumb to the horrible thought - what if he was really too far gone?  
Noire was next to her, their usual obnoxious face pale and frozen. If it was so hard for Candela to watch this, then it must be torture for them. She looked up again, at Blanche and Spark, immediately wishing she hadn't.  
Blanche drew back the icicle as Spark moved closer, thrusting it forwards with a force that must have been from Articuno. Spark’s eyes turned blue again in the few seconds before he fell, and his lips mouthed a weak ‘thank you’. The electricity faded from his body, and he fell downwards, eyes closing as his head hit the ground with a thud. Blanche felt their knees go weak as they watched, realisation crashing over them as though they'd been hit by the wood held by a Conkeldurr. They stood there for a while, struggling to maintain a mask of composure, and to comprehend the full magnitude of what had just happened.  
“It was… for the best… right?” Candela’s whisper brought another sense of harsh realisation. Spark wouldn't be there anymore. His smile, his laugh, his lame puns and jokes… gone, to a place where they could not follow. His carefree attitude, and the gentle way he tended to his precious eggs. They would never see that again. And his Pokemon… they'd lost not only their Trainer, but also their caregiver and friend. They had seen the love that his team shared for him, and the love that he gave to each and every one of those Pokemon. They might not be very strong, but they fought hard and fought on. They might not have perfect stats, but they fought as a team. And now the headstone of the team was broken.  
When both Candela and Noire placed a hand on each of their shoulders, they let their mask slip, let the tears roll down their cheeks. Their knees grew weak, and they seemed to crumple, kneeling beside Spark’s unmoving body, the sharp icicle still sticking out of his chest. The air around them was frigid, and the small puddles made by their tears were frosting over. Their breaths came in and out with long, shuddering gasps, and their green eyes were rimmed with red.  
Candela, beside them, was still comprehending what had happened. Spark was gone… no. Yes. No. Not Spark. Yes. Not the person who'd become like her own brother, who would do anything for her, just as she would for him. Yes. The one who always smiled, and had the most infectious laugh she'd ever heard. He was clumsy, and made the worst jokes that she could listen to and still find funny. But he was her friend. And yet now, here he lay, still on the cold ground, the icicle in his chest. The rays of sunlight streamed down, oblivious to the fact that her own ray of sunshine had dimmed, and might never brighten again. She stole a glance to where Blanche was breaking down, and Noire was staring at Spark’s body as though they might drown themself in it. In all her time knowing the twins, she'd never seen them so sad, and even though she didn't particularly get along with Noire, it pained her to see the both of them like that, looking so helpless when they were usually the strong ones, the ones in control of everything, who would never really fall apart or show this much emotion… But the one thing that shattered her heart was Blanche’s tortured whisper.  
_What have I done?_  
**just trust in your instincts**  
“I'm really sorry, Go,” Professor Willow, Candela, Blanche and Spark’s assistant Go were all seated in the conference room. The atmosphere was tense, with Blanche being more withdrawn than usual, and Go still in a state of shock. Professor Willow sighed, looking much older than he really was. “We’ll need a new leader for Team Instinct, to replace Spark…”  
“No.” Blanche’s head shot up, their eyes flashing angrily. Go jumped, and the Professor recoiled slightly. The area of the table near her hand was freezing, a layer of ice forming over it.  
“I think…” Candela said tentatively, her voice shaking a little, “that what Blanche means is that… no one could replace Spark.”  
Professor Willow looked down. “That is true,” he acknowledged, turning to Blanche. “Please calm down, Blanche. I know it's been hard for you.”  
“Sorry! _Sorry_!” Blanche shouted at the Professor, tears streaming down their cheeks. “You weren’t even there! Where were you when everything happened?”  
“You know very well where I was, Blanche,” he said quietly. “And… I could not have done anything. When you described him to me, I knew. It was already too late. The question now is… why?”  
Yes. why. Why Spark? Why? _Why_? If there was anyone in the world who never deserved to die it was him. They laughed, called him the ‘baby of the trio’, but he was a baby. An innocent, laughing baby, a precious child, someone they had to protect at all costs. _why_  
“Think for a moment, Blanche,” Candela laid a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “I know you’re -”  
“You know _nothing_.”  
“Blanche…” Candela’s hurt expression made Blanche instantly regret their words. They swallowed, but Go spoke up first.  
He looked a mess. He had been busy trying to prevent further losses, and his hair was dishevelled, the pale yellow hat that used to sit on his head gone. He tried to rub away a tear on his face, but all that did was leave a dirt- and blood-stained mark across his left cheek.  
“What would Spark do?” His voice shook as it said the name of his boss and friend, Instinct One.  
Blanche thought for a moment, their breathing calming as it eased into a steady rhythm. They thought about Spark, about his reassuring way of handling injured and frightened Pokemon, of the gentleness in which he comforted upset Trainers, of the love in which he tenderly examined every egg in the hatcheries.  
“He would want to check on the Trainers and Pokemon. And make sure that the eggs are alright.” They said it in a small voice, for it had hardly even occurred to them that they should check on the Trainers, Pokemon and eggs.  
“And after that…” Blanche paused, deep in thought, and Candela continued, very quietly.  
“He’d probably dash straight to the Pokemon Centre to help Nurse Joy out.”  
“Leaving us here to work out how we can repair this ruin,” Go finished, with a humourless laugh.  
“What should we do first?” Candela asked, attempting to take charge of the situation. “They’re all equally as important.”  
“Just trust in your instincts.”


End file.
